Serve
feature STORY Written by Board Trustee and St. Andrew’s parent William Osborn
TO THEM ALL MY DAYS “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning; and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8 The St. Andrew’s community this year celebrates the
plane and flew west across the Pacific, alone, like a
career and legacy of Lucy Collins Nazro, after 32
pearl called by destiny back to the Orient for polish.
years of service as head of our school. Lucy came
St. Margaret’s had been founded in 1877 by an Epis-
to us in 1980, and so she has been our leader for
copal Missionary, and Lucy would stay there as an
more than half of the institution’s lifetime. Yet the
English teacher, living on campus, for the next three
school she leaves is nothing like the school she found
years. In 1963 she returned to Austin and enrolled
when she arrived. In 1980, St. Andrew’s had about
in a special program for educators at the Episcopal
300 students in grades 1–6; it now has 851 students in
Seminary of the Southwest.
grades 1–12, and sends its graduates to some of the best colleges in the country. During her tenure Lucy
Also arriving at the Seminary as a new student in
spearheaded efforts that raised over sixty million
the fall of 1963 was a young man named Phil Nazro.
dollars for this expansion.
As he was moving into his dorm on the first day, his roommate told him that the talk was that, of all
We will most remember Lucy for her indomitable spir-
things, there were two girls in the new class. But,
it and tenacity in the face of many challenges. Lucy
the newsgiver continued, it was hopeless to imag-
graduated from Waco High School in 1955. She was
ine any possibilities, because one was married, and
a high school cheerleader; she has essentially been
the other was a missionary! On the first day of class,
a cheerleader ever since. She graduated from the
Lucy gravitated to the front row of the Church His-
University of Texas in 1959 with a degree in English,
tory class, as did Phil, in his words, because they were
having her picture all over the “Cactus” yearbook
both so short and could not have otherwise seen the
for various organizations. Being an adventurer from
teacher. And that is how they became acquainted.
the start, Lucy began her career by teaching for a
It is a seemingly strange thing, but the word “short”
year at Granger Junior High School in San Diego,
never comes to mind when thinking of Lucy. She
California. In the summer of 1960 she wrote to the
would be a missionary for the rest of her life, but like
national office of the Episcopal Church, asking if they
all on a powerful quest, assumed a stature indepen-
knew of any teaching positions in the Far East. She
dent of any physical constraints.
received an immediate reply that St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, a 1–12 girls school in Tokyo, needed an
Phil recalls from their courtship days that it seemed
English teacher by September 1st. Lucy boarded a
Lucy knew at least half of the people wherever they St. Andrew’s Episcopal School • www.sasaustin.org • 5